By Mario Cilento
Labor Day is a time to celebrate the contributions of working people in every sector of the economy. It is also a time to reflect on all the union members who came before us and fought for the eight-hour workday, safety protections and more essentials that we take for granted.
At this moment in time, union activity is surging across the country and right here in New York state with more workers coming together to join a union and more workers making the difficult decision to strike. When it comes to unionizing, we are seeing workers organizing at high-profile companies like Amazon, Starbucks and Apple. Unionization has increased among journalists, graduate students, video gamers, bookstores, legislative staff and nonprofit organizations, many of which are not traditionally unionized industries.
This tells us that more workers are feeling empowered, and they are sending a clear message that they recognize their value, and they are standing up to corporate greed.
The issues workers are fighting for are similar, including demanding respect, a voice on the job, input on the use of AI in the workplace and better pay.
We are seeing that right now with strikes by members of the Screen Actors Guild — American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAGAFTRA), and the Writers Guild of America (WGA). We saw it recently with nurses across the state following the pandemic.
To be clear, no one wants to strike. It is a hardship everyone wants to avoid. The difficult decision to strike is made by members voting to walk out only when their employer forces their hand. And a recent poll shows that the public understands that. A strong majority of voters support the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes and overwhelmingly agree with their key demands.
To help workers who make that difficult decision to strike, we reduced the waiting period for eligibility for unemployment benefits. In most other states, workers on strike are not eligible at all.
We also continue to see corporations ramp up efforts to block union organizing, which is why we need crucial reforms at the national level to protect working men and women and their right to form unions.
In the meantime, we are making gains in New York state.
This legislative session we secured passage of a bill that prevents discrimination against workers who refuse to participate in captive audience meetings. Employers would not be able to require workers to attend meetings on the employer’s views on political, religious or otherwise personal issues including labor organizing, health care decisions or joining political, fraternal, or civic organizations.
The union movement led the push for a bill that passed this session to increase the minimum workers’ compensation benefit in steps to eventually index it to one-fifth of the statewide average weekly wage. This will have a real impact, particularly on low-wage workers.
Other recent legislative victories include pension reform and Buy American laws for iron, steel and rock salt. And we now have historic labor standards on renewable energy projects that will help to create and preserve family-sustaining, union jobs while growing the union movement.
The bottom line is that there is no question that union membership is the best way for working people to get ahead. Studies have shown time and time again that workers who belong to a union enjoy better wages, better benefits and better working conditions. A study released in June 2022 found that unionized workers earn 10.2 percent more than their non-union peers. The study also found that unionization narrows racial economic disparities, increasing wages by 17.3 percent for Black workers and 23.1 percent for Latino workers.
And the public recognizes that. The most recent Gallup poll from 2021 shows that 68 percent of respondents approved of labor unions, the highest level since 1965.
Here in New York state, we are proud of our history. Unionization levels in New York state are roughly double the national average, which is what keeps us union strong.
Mario Cilento is president of the New York State AFL-CIO.
The bottom line is that there is no question that union membership is the best way for working people to get ahead. Studies have shown time and time again that workers who belong to a union enjoy better wages, better benefits and better working conditions.